


A Different Kind of Christmas

by orphan_account



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, It'll make your teeth rot I'm warning you, M/M, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 01:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9470339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Hong Kong has been invited over to spend Christmas with the Nordic five. He's understandably nervous about it, but with his boyfriend by his side, he's more than sure everything will work out fine.





	

As soon as he saw him, Emil’s face broke into a huge smile and he wasted no time in making his way over and hugging his boyfriend tightly.  
Leon looked startled at first, but upon recognising the mop of silvery hair he smiled and planted a kiss on it, dropping the handle of his suitcase and his rucksack in order to wrap both arms around the Icelander. The two had never been ones for public affection- preferring to show it at home away from the prying eyes of everyone else- however this was an exception. It had been a few months since the personification of Iceland had seen the personification of Hong Kong in person and so Emil and Leon wasted no time in greeting each other warmly.  
“Hello,” Leon said simply into Emil’s hair, letting out a long and tired sigh. He was jet lagged from the near fifteen hour flight it had been over to Copenhagen and it showed in the slump of his shoulders and the fluttering of his eyelids.  
“Hi,” Emil replied with a smile, perfectly content to bury his face in the others shoulder, surreptitiously inhaling deeply. Leon had a very distinct musky sort of smell, which Iceland had missed dearly, along with the warmth from his hugs, the curve of his lips when he smiled and the gorgeous colour of his eyes. He’d missed everything about Leon. There wasn’t a night that they didn’t skype or facetime, however it was so much more different experiencing it in person rather than through their phones or laptop. It was nicer and much more comfortable.  
The ride back to the house was a cosy one. Emil had pretty much planted himself in Leon’s lap and refused to move, so the other had sighed and strapped the seat belt around him, letting him cling to him like some sort of limpet. The only time Emil was like this was when he saw Hong Kong for the first time after months. The clinginess would stay around for a day or two before he’d revert back to the grumpy, awkward teenager with his enthusiastic but still as awkward boyfriend, too shy to hold hands anywhere except under the table or behind one of their backs. Ah, at times the two were like chalk and cheese… However, there were a few things they did bond over. One was games, another their love for cute things and the third their family, or more accurately how annoying they thought their families were.  
Speaking of which…  
“It’s nice of your parents to invite me over for Christmas,” Leon mumbled, brushing a few strands of hair out of Emil’s eyes.  
The Icelander had his eyes closed, but the thin line of his lip told Leon how he was feeling about the whole situation. “They’re not my parents,” Emil began, opening a single multitoned eye to glare playfully up at his lover. “And they kept going on about something about making a good impression on the potentially new family member.”  
Leon chuckled, turning his head to look out of the window. “Right. I mean, I’m pretty sure they have met me before, but I guess I didn’t make a good enough impression.”  
Iceland snorted and sat up, still glued to Leon’s side. “You know how Mathias is…”  
The boy hummed in response, biting his lower lip gently. He knew exactly how Mathias was, as well as the other members of the Northern European family.  
“You’re not nervous are you?” Emil asked, scanning Leon’s face for any sign to show that he was.  
“Yeah,” Leon answered, not missing a beat. “I am.”  
“Why?” Emil arched an eyebrow. “They’re not that scary. Just annoying.”  
“I know- it’s just…” Hong Kong paused and made a face, running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. “I’m worried that they won’t think I’m good enough for you or something.”  
Iceland shook his head and reached up to move Leon’s face around to meet his, looking him in the eyes. “They will. Trust me. Even if they didn’t they don’t control me- I can do what I want.”  
Leon thought about it, before he shook his head and leaned forward to brush his lips with Iceland’s own. “I still admire your stubbornness. Since when were you this cute, Emi?”  
“Shut up,” Emil grinned, pushing away from Leon and sitting up straight. His face betrayed him, colouring a dark crimson, as well as the tips of his ears. “You’re so embarrassing.”  
“Only for you, my love,” Leon teased, blowing him a small kiss.  
Emil laughed and shoved him in the chest good naturedly, turning his whole body away from the other. “Stop. I’m serious this time.”  
“Ok, ok,” Leon smiled, wrapping his arms around Emil’s waist instead and burying his face in the shoulder of his coat. “I’ll stop. For now.”  
The taxi dropped them off at the gates to Mathias’s house- or rather mansion- which Leon had to crane his neck to look up at whilst Iceland handed him his suitcase and rucksack. He looked back down at Iceland questioningly- who in return shook his head.  
“He likes old houses,” he told him. “He’s had this one for over a decade. He’s been talking about moving soon, though. The neighbours are starting to get suspicious that he’s a vampire or ghost or something.”  
Leon snorted at that and shook his head. One of the many downsides to being a nation- eternal youth until the country is either dissolved or the population dies. In some respects, it was convenient, but in others it was most definitely not. An example being having to renew birth certificates every thirty years or so and moving around from one place to the next to avoid suspicion. The last thing any nation wanted were people snooping into their private business. Leon couldn’t even begin to imagine the uproar it would cause if people found out about them...  
“I know they think Lukas is one,” Emil carried on, kicking open the gate that heaved before giving way. “Something about him being ‘too pretty’.”  
Leon just laughed. He wasn’t surprised. Both Iceland and Norway had unnaturally good looks, but not in the handsome sense; more in a cute and feminine way. “Has Lukas accepted that he’s living with Mathias yet?” He asked whilst on the subject of Emil’s brother, following him through the gate and up the stone walkway which was covered in a layer of snow. Leon had seen snow before- he had visited Iceland on more than one occasion- but it never failed to enchant him.  
“Nope,” the Icelander replied, shaking his head. “He still insists he’s on an ‘extended visit’. He’s been on an extended visit here for the good part of a century.”  
“That’s a long visit,” Leon mused.  
“Tell me about it,” Iceland said dryly. “Those two get so cuddly all the time which is why I only visit every few weeks rather than live with them permanently. Unfortunately, Christmas, birthdays, those stupid half- birthdays which Lukas celebrates and any other occasions are an exception, though.”  
Leon nodded in understanding. Iceland had been in Copenhagen a week and a half already as both Norway and Denmark had insisted he come over early to help prepare the house for Christmas. He knew the Nordics didn’t take Christmas lightly at all, especially with Tino being Tino.  
“Are Finland, Sweden and Sealand here yet?” Leon asked. Last he’d heard they were getting ready to leave.  
“No,” Iceland said, relief in his voice. “The longer they’re over there anyway the less time I have to spend playing with Peter.”  
“At least you’ll have help this time,” Leon pointed out helpfully.  
“Yeah,” Iceland said with sarcasm heavily lacing his voice. “Great help.”  
“Hey,” Leon replied, frowning. “I’m great with kids.”  
“Says who?”  
“Me.”  
“That’s reassuring,” Iceland laughed as they arrived at the door. He looked Leon over before straightening out his hat and coat for him. “Alright. Calm, composed, polite, try to act natural.”  
“I’ll try,” Leon replied weakly, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door firmly. There were a few seconds of silence before something smashed inside the house, making the two teens wince. This was followed by a round of shouting in either Danish or Norwegian- Leon couldn’t tell- and then the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards the door and the latch unhooking. The door was suddenly thrown open by a dishevelled Denmark- his hair flat from the lack of gel, his buttons done up wrong and his tie half tied.  
“Hey!” He greeted them both, out of breath. “I’m glad you’re home! Luke is having a major stress out over what freaking ornaments to put on the fireplace and I’m trying to get dressed but it’s not working out.”  
He then turned to Leon and grinned widely, sticking out a hand. “Hey, Leon! You already know me so I’ll save the introductions! Welcome to my- well, our- lovely house! Enjoy your stay, blah blah blah, Emil will show you around whilst I finish getting dressed!” With that, he turned and pretty much sprinted back upstairs, almost tripping over the carpet on his way up.  
Iceland sighed and shook his head. “I hope you don’t find them too weird.”  
Leon, who was still a little stunned by the abruptness, blinked before recovering and clearing his throat. “Um… no. Nah. They seem alright.”  
Emil smiled, pride swelling in his chest, before he guided Leon inside and shut the door. Leon’s breath caught in his throat and he looked around with his jaw slack at the size and the neatness of the entrance. The floor and staircase were made of polished wood with woven rugs thrown precariously around it. Decorations spread over as far as the eye could see- pine and other clippings snaking up around the banisters with decorations hung on the branches and ornaments placed in strategic places on the walls and by the door. There was a warmth inside the house which made Leon relax somewhat and the smell of scented candles filled his nose along with the promise of something savoury baking in the oven. Christmas was only a few days away so no wonder the Dane and the Norwegian were uptight and busy.  
Emil and Leon kicked off their shoes and thick winter garments before Iceland took Hong Kong’s suitcase and went upstairs, the Asian following with his bulky rucksack. They passed Mathias and Lukas’s bedroom, where Mathias was struggling with his tie and swearing under his breath, to Iceland’s bedroom. Even though there were plenty of rooms that Leon could have stayed in, he insisted on sharing one with Emil so he would feel more comfortable. Emil opened his bedroom door and walked inside, Leon sighing with relief at the warmth that flooded out.  
“I’ve kept it warm so the cold isn’t too much for you,” Iceland said quietly, smiling at Leon like a proud child.  
Leon smiled back and placed his rucksack by the mattress that was on the floor, covered by thick woollen blankets. It was a nice thought, but Leon knew he wouldn’t be sleeping in that bed at all over the next two weeks. Iceland’s bird was curled up in a ball on the centre of Emil’s own bed, cooing quietly, seemingly asleep.  
“He’s been complaining about the cold a lot lately,” Iceland told Hong Kong, sitting down on the bed to run a finger over his puffin’s feathers. The bird shivered and opened one eye groggily, before closing it again. It made Leon smile, the fact that he treated Mr Puffin like a human being who could talk. He thought it was cute.  
“I see,” Leon said, stretching his arms above his head and letting the bones in his back and arms crack with a groan. “This place is very homely.”  
Iceland nodded in response. “Anywhere Mathias lives has this atmosphere. I think it’s why Lukas came to live with him in the first place.”  
“Don’t you mean stay on an extended visit?” Leon replied slyly, making Emil snort.  
“Yeah. Extended visit.”  
After Leon had settled in, he and Emil braved going downstairs. Mathias had already vanished by this point and so the two followed the sounds of clattering coming from the living room. When the two got there, Leon let out a soft “whoa” when he saw inside it. An enormous tree sat snugly in one corner of the room, near an open fireplace which had logs crackling heartily in it. Holly and pine sat neatly on the shelf of the fireplace and the windowsill, also lining the backs of the plump sofas. A few boxes were spread out on the coffee table with some decorations laid out on the floor, something Emil’s brother was seeing to.  
Lukas was sitting on his knees, rummaging through a particularly large box and muttering to himself under his breath in a mixture of Norwegian and English. Every so often he held up a glass ornament, before shaking his head and placing it carefully back down.  
“Hey,” Emil greeted cautiously and Lukas’s head whipped around, his eyes unamused and a dull blue.  
“Hello,” Lukas greeted formally, standing up and dusting off his clothes. “You must be Li Xiao.”  
“Mr Bondevik,” Leon greeted back just as formally, offering his hand to which Lukas took. “You can just call me Leon.” The Norwegian studied him critically, before his eyebrow quirked up and a small smile came to his face.  
“Lukas,” he told Leon, before gesturing for them to sit down. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my darling little brother.”  
“Luke,” Emil groaned, burying his face in his hands. “We talked about this.”  
“I know,” Lukas responded, a playful tinge to his voice. “That doesn’t necessarily mean I will stop.”  
Emil threw his hands up in disbelief whilst Leon chuckled. So far Lukas and Mathias had seemed pleasant and not as scary as how Leon remembered them from the World Meetings.  
“Mathias managed to smash my favourite ornament,” Lukas sighed sadly, explaining the earlier smashing sound. “So, I’m looking for one to replace it on the mantelpiece.”  
“Was it the swan one?” Emil asked, taking a seat on the sofa with Leon sitting next to him.  
Lukas nodded. “I’ve had that one for years.”  
“I’m sure Mathias will get you another one.”  
“I’m sure he will,” Lukas responded, his voice chilly with annoyance directed at Mathias. “But it won’t be the same.”  
“Where is he?” Emil asked. He couldn’t hear any loud noises that normally signified that Mathias was around the house.  
“He’s helping Berwald in with the luggage.”  
“Tino and Berwald are here?” Emil said, his tone dropping with something that sounded a lot like fear. Lukas seemed to notice this and shook his head in amusement.  
“Don’t worry- Peter’s spending Christmas with Arthur and the rest of his biological family this year since Alfred isn’t throwing another ridiculous party. It will just be us six.”  
Emil let out a sigh of relief. “Great. Now I can do what I want rather than babysit.”  
“Don’t be like that,” Norway chided, picking up another ornament before deciding he liked it and placed it on the shelf.  
Emil rolled his eyes, making Leon smile. After some small talk, the door was suddenly thrown open loudly and there was the sound of voices talking in what Leon thought he recognised as Danish. His heard perked up when he heard his name included in their conversation, before the voices abruptly switched to English.  
“Hello, all!” Came a cheerful tone, followed by the stomping of boots to get rid of the fresh snow outside on the carpet. “I’ve come with presents!”  
Leon could only place that voice as Tino, who sure enough appeared in the doorway a few seconds later.  
“Leon! Hi!” Finland greeted happily. “I’m so glad you could join us for Christmas! I hope those two older and more annoying nations didn’t scare you too much.”  
“I’m not scary!” both Mathias and Lukas replied simulatenously, before Mathias appeared in the doorway behind Tino. Leon decided he liked Tino the best- he seemed to be the personification of Christmas cheer itself rather than the personification of Finland. There was something about him that sang kindness and warmth which reminded him a lot of Vietnam or even Taiwan. In fact, all of the Nordics seemed to resemble his family in some way. That was good- perhaps then he wouldn’t get too homesick.  
“They’re not scary. I quite like them,” Leon replied, warming to the small talk.  
Tino laughed and reached over the back of the sofa to pat his hair. “Such a polite young man! You’re lucky there, Emil! No one else in this household was as lucky!”  
There were a few noises of protest from Denmark and Norway, followed by a low pitched grunt from the hall, which Leon assumed was Sweden. Sweden walked into the room a minute or so later, dragging a particularly large sack spilling over with presents of all shapes and sizes which he placed delicately by the foot of the Christmas tree.  
“Please be careful of the ornaments, Ber,” Lukas sighed, quickly moving them aside so they wouldn’t meet the same fate as his beloved swan one. “I don’t want another one smashed.” He shot a dirty look at Mathias when he said this, to which the Dane pouted, puffing his cheeks out.  
“How was I meant to know it was there!”  
“By using your eyes?”  
“Now, now, boys,” Tino chided, resting the side of his head on his husband’s shoulder once Sweden came back to stand by him. “This is Christmas! We’re supposed to be having fun and being cheerful! Aren’t we, Ber?”  
Sweden grunted again, eyes suddenly falling on Leon. At first, Leon was more than a little intimidated by the piercing stare that he received, before Tino nudged Berwald in the side with his elbow.  
“Say hello, then! You’re scaring the poor boy.”  
“’Lo,” Sweden said, his voice low and heavily accented. Leon swallowed nervously; it was going to be a task in itself to try and understand the Swede, but luckily he didn’t seem to talk too much. Worst came to worst, he could quietly ask Emil what he said to try and maintain his politeness rather than ask Sweden to repeat himself.  
“Hey,” Leon replied, moving his hand over to brush against Emil’s, who took it and laced their fingers firmly, hiding their hands in the small gap between them.  
“Right!” Finland began, clapping his hands together in his enthusiasm. “Who would like a drink? No alcohol, Mat, as that is reserved for closer to the time, so we have coffee, tea etcetera.” He turned to the Asian first. “Leon, what would you like?”  
Leon blinked, unsure of what to say, so Emil answered for him. “We’ll both have cocoa, please.”  
“Ok, Lukas, Mat, Ber? What would you like?”  
“A coffee please,” Lukas responded, standing up and placing the ornaments back into the boxes carefully.  
“Same for me,” Berwald replied, avoiding Leon’s gaze. He seemed to be quite shy now that Leon thought about it.  
“Hit me up with some cocoa too, please!” Mathias responded, barging past Berwald to help Lukas put the things back as a sort of apology. Lukas gave him an annoyed look at first, before accepting the help being offered.  
“Got it! They’ll be done soon,” Finland said- mostly to Leon- before disappearing, his footsteps heading down the hall to the kitchen. Sweden decided to follow him quietly to help him and so disappeared too.  
When they were gone, Mathias turned to Lukas. “I really am sorry, Luke… I can try and find you another one…”  
In response, Lukas just smiled and flicked his nose. “Apology accepted. You’d better find me another one,” he replied, before scooping up the boxes and heading out the room. Mathias’s demeanour lit up once more and he grinned, picking up the remaining boxes and following his husband out of the room too to put them aside for when Christmas was over.  
That left both Leon and Emil alone, sitting in front of the fire on the sofa. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, Emil turned to Leon with a quizzical look, silently asking him what he thought of the whole situation. Leon caught the look and smiled reassuringly at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.  
“They seem totally fine. I think I need to warm up to Lukas and Berwald, but apart from that I think I’m going to enjoy staying here.”  
A smile bloomed on Emil’s lips, before he moved over some more and rested his head gently on Leon’s shoulder as one last sign of affection before the others came back with the drinks. “I’m glad. I’m so glad you said yes, too.”  
Leon sighed lowly, happily, before resting his cheek on Emil’s hair, watching as the multitude of colours danced around as blue, yellow, orange and red flames, spreading warmth through the room and caused the shadows to flicker in a dance too. “So am I, Emi.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for @aphnordicstuff on Tumblr after winning third place in my blog event! So here is your fic as promised :)


End file.
